Paul G. Kent

Partner
Email: pkent@staffordlaw.com
Direct: 608-259-2665
Offices: Madison
Legal Assistant
Marjorie Irving
608-259-2637
mirving@staffordlaw.com
Practice Areas

Paul G. Kent

Partner
Partner
Email: pkent@staffordlaw.com
Direct: 608-259-2665
Offices: Madison
Legal Assistant
Marjorie Irving
608-259-2637
mirving@staffordlaw.com
Legal Assistant
Marjorie Irving
608-259-2637
mirving@staffordlaw.com
Practice Areas


Best Lawyers Award Badge

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On the Job

Attorney Paul Kent’s Practice

Attorney Paul Kent is a partner in Stafford Rosenbaum’s Madison office with a practice that focuses on environmental regulatory matters with a particular emphasis on water issues. He represents municipalities on wastewater, stormwater, water supply, mining, energy and other environmental issues. He also represents individuals and businesses on land use and development matters including developments in and around shorelands, wetlands, and navigable waters. He has served on over a dozen DNR advisory committees on water policy issues and has been involved in developing environmental legislation. He has argued appeals before the Wisconsin and United States Supreme Courts.

Paul is admitted to practice in Wisconsin. Click here for Paul’s lawyer rating. Paul was recently selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© 2019 in the fields of Environmental Law; Litigation – Environmental, Litigation – Land Use and Zoning, Native American Law, and Water Law.

Paul’s Education

  • University of Wisconsin Law School (J.D.)
  • University of Wisconsin-Madison (M.A., Public Policy and Administration)
  • University of Wisconsin-Madison (B.A.)

Paul’s Publications and Presentations

Paul’s Teaching Experience

  • Adjunct professor of environmental law course at University of Wisconsin Law School (1989-present) and a visiting professor of environmental law at the East China University of Political Science and Law in Shanghai, China (2012).
  • Frequent speaker at seminars sponsored by the State Bar of Wisconsin, University of Wisconsin Extension, League of Wisconsin Municipalities, Wisconsin Wastewater Operators Association and numerous others.

Paul’s Professional Recognition and Awards

The Best Lawyers in America:

  • Best Lawyers® 2015 Litigation – Land Use and Zoning and Water Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Madison
  • Lawyer of the Year 2013 for Water Law in Madison and Litigation – Land Use & Zoning in Madison
  • Lawyer of the Year 2012 for Environmental Litigation Madison
  • Lawyer of the Year 2010 for Environmental Law in Madison
  • Selected by peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America for environmental law (since 1995). Also included for Water law, Land Use and Zoning, Native American law, Municipal Law, and Litigation

Other recognitions:

Paul’s Professional Memberships and Activities

  • State Bar of Wisconsin
  • Dane County Bar Association
    • Past President (1998-1999)
  • American College of Environmental Law; Fellow (2019-Present)

Off the Job

Paul came to school in Madison in 1973 and has been here since. He has two adult sons, Christopher and Michael, and three grandchildren. Paul’s interests include backpacking, reading, swimming, folk music, travel, and family and church activities.

  • Favorite music: Folk, Celtic, bluegrass, blues, rock and classical
  • Last places visited: Ethiopia (2020); Germany (2015, 2017); Ireland (2014); China (2012); Pacific Northwest (2011); Israel (2009); France and Poland (2008)
  • Favorite getaways: Memorial Union Terrace and Devil’s Lake
  • Favorite book: Fiction: Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy; Non-fiction: The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge, by David McCullough and Hamilton by Ron Chernow
  • Would like to visit: Alaska, Australia, New Zealand,British Isles

Recent Blogs

Filed Under: Environment and Land Use Law Municipal Law

Stafford Rosenbaum Helps Pier Owner Simplify Wisconsin Law on Permit Exemptions

By: Attorney Kyle Engelke Attorney Larry Konopacki Attorney Paul Kent

Recently the Court of Appeals released an opinion holding that municipal pier regulations enacted pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 30.13(2) cannot be applied to a pier that qualifies for a state permit exemption under Wis. Stat. § 30.12(1g)(f).  As a result, the Court of Appeals reversed the trial court’s decision in order to rule in […]

May 21, 2020 in Blogs
Filed Under: Environment and Land Use Law

Supreme Court Expands Scope of Clean Water Act

By: Attorney Paul Kent Attorney Vanessa Wishart Attorney Rick Manthe

The scope of the Clean Water Act (“CWA”) expanded under the Supreme Court’s ruling in County of Maui v. Hawaii Wildlife Fund, 590 U.S. ___ (2020). The Court found that the CWA requirement for a permit prior to discharging a pollutant to navigable water could apply to pollutant discharges to groundwater that subsequently travel to […]

May 04, 2020 in Blogs
Filed Under: Appellate Law

The Not-So-Scenic Pit: Court Reaffirms Limited Local Control Over Certain Solid Waste Facilities

By: Attorney Paul Kent Attorney Vanessa Wishart

The issue of local control is once again front and center in a recent Wisconsin Court of Appeals decision, Scenic Pit LLC v. Village of Richfield, No. 2015AP2291 (June 28, 2017) (recommended for publication). Scenic Pit LLC sought to open a clean fill solid waste facility in the Village of Richfield. Such facilities accept disposal […]

Aug 14, 2017 in Blogs